Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
Two Massachusetts men pleaded guilty on Apr. 15 in federal court in Boston to conspiring to damage a building on the Harvard Medical School campus using a large commercial firework.
Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 21, of Bourne, each admitted guilt to one count of conspiracy to damage by means of an explosive. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Aug. 4. The two were arrested and charged in November last year.
According to court documents, surveillance cameras captured Patterson and Cardoza walking toward the campus at about 2:23 a.m. on Nov. 1 wearing face coverings and dark clothing. They were seen lighting roman candle fireworks before climbing over a fence into a construction area around the Goldenson Building and then onto its roof. At approximately 2:45 a.m., an explosion triggered a fire alarm on the fourth floor where they had detonated a commercial firework inside a wooden locker in the research laboratory of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology.
Further footage showed them visiting another floor before leaving through an emergency exit and discarding their clothing as they fled toward Wentworth Institute of Technology's campus after attending Halloween activities there.
The charge carries up to five years in prison, three years supervised release, and up to $250,000 fine. Sentences are determined by federal district court judges according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said her office advances community initiatives related to civil rights and violence prevention according to the official website. The office enforces federal laws through prosecutions involving national security threats and civil rights violations according to the official website. It handles both criminal prosecutions and civil litigation for the United States across Massachusetts with facilities at the John Joseph Moakley United States Federal Courthouse in Boston as well as branch offices in Springfield and Worcester according to the official website.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office employs more than 200 attorneys, paralegals, and professional staff serving all residents statewide according to its official website. Founded as one of America’s earliest such entities in 1789, it operates multiple offices throughout Massachusetts focused on public safety initiatives according to its official website.
